If it Makes You Happy
by Pippeloen
Summary: -Sam Swarek & Andy McNally invite you to celebrate their wedding.-


**A****/N: Another one shot about our ****favourite**** couple.**

**This takes place during the second half of season 5 (aka season 6). **

**XX**

Andy was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. With a smile she picked up one of the neatly folded cards on the table. She opened it and her smile only grew wider when she ran her finger over the words.

_-Sam Swarek & Andy McNally invite you to celebrate their wedding.-_

The card was simple and had a classic design. Both Andy and Sam decided that it suited them. They didn't want anything too fancy. Everybody that knew they were getting married already knew when it was happening. The invitations were just a technicality.

Andy took the list of addresses and sighed when she reached the letter 'S'. There was a name missing, but Sam didn't mention it. Didn't even seem to notice that one name wasn't on the list.

Actually there was more than one name that wasn't on the list. She also hadn't decided if she wanted Claire there.

When the door slammed shut Andy looked up. Boo came running towards her, desperate for some attention. "Good boy," Andy said as she petted his head. "Did you have a good walk?"

"It's cold outside," Sam said as he shrugged off his coat. "Of course that doesn't bother him."

Andy scratched the dog behind his ears and then returned her attention back to the cards in front of her. "Sample came in," she told Sam as she handed him the card.

Sam looked at the card with a small smile on his face. "Looks good, right?" he asked. "This is what we wanted."

"Yeah, looks perfect," Andy agreed. "Now we just have to agree on the guest list."

Sam took the list from her and looked it over. "Looks fine, right?"

Andy took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, it's just.."

"What?" Sam asked as he looked at his fiancée. "Someone missing?"

"Well, I kind of figured your sister would want an invitation as well," Andy replied.

The smile fell off Sam's face as soon as the words left Andy's mouth. "I doubt she would come," he answered truthfully. "We're not close Andy. We just don't have that type of relationship."

"I just think we should at least invite her," Andy mentioned. "If she doesn't want to come then that's her decision, but now she doesn't even know.."

"We don't even talk," Sam reasoned. "Before I got shot I hadn't seen her for years. She has her own life and I have mine."

Andy nodded and put the list of names on the coffee table again. "She came though," she said. "She wouldn't have come if she doesn't want anything to do with you. Both of you are just so stubborn."

"She doesn't even know anybody else that will come," Sam answered. "It wouldn't be any fun for her."

"I think you can't decide that for her," Andy responded. "But if you don't want her there then I guess that's up to you." Andy rubbed her hand over her face and shook her head. "I still don't know what to do about Claire either."

Sam sat down next to her and took a sip of Andy's water. "You talked to Tommy about it?"

Andy nodded and shrugged her shoulders. "He says it's my day. Doesn't want me to leave her out of it because of him. He wants me to do whatever makes me happy."

"What do you want?" Andy asked Sam.

Sam shook his head and rubbed Andy's back. "That's your decision. You know how I feel about her, but she's your mother. If you want her there then she's welcome."

"I don't know," Andy admitted. "We hardly ever see each other now. She doesn't seem to be that interested anyway."

"She doesn't like me," Sam filled in. "Still thinks I'm a bad influence."

"More reason not to invite her," Andy reasoned with a sad smile. "Or maybe just invite her to the church, not the reception. Then she'll be there, but it won't be awkward because she won't have to talk to anybody."

"Just do whatever feels right. Your dad is right, this is our day. It shouldn't matter what other people think."

"Want to elope?" Andy suggested. "Just the two of us at city hall sounds perfect just about now."

"Nope," Sam answered. "We waited long enough for this. There will be a church, there will be a white dress and there will be guests."

"Who says the dress is going to be white?" Andy asked with a smile. "Maybe I want to get married in red. Still going to say 'I do' then?"

"Even if you show up in your old jeans and a tank top," Sam promised.

Andy turned and put her feet on the couch. She rested her head in Sam's lap as he massager her scull with his right hand. "Does it make me a bad person if I don't want her there?"

"No," Sam answered. "She walked out of your life when you needed her most. She gave up every right she had when she made that decision."

"I just don't want to worry about how it's affecting my dad to see her. It's not like it's the first big moment she'll be missing." Andy closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Sam's hands for a moment. "I still think eloping is a good idea."

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Nope, you're not getting out of this one McNally," Sam warned. "Besides, Oliver is already exited about wedding cake and getting drunk without having to pay for his drinks."

"That sounds like Oliver," Andy agreed. "Any other people we should or shouldn't invite?"

"I think we covered them all," Sam said.

It wasn't the first time they had talked about it. They had talked about what to do about Luke and Nick, eventually they decided to invite the both of them. Everything between Luke and Andy happened so long before that those wounds were all healed. Nick and Andy weren't really serious and since he seemed happy with his girlfriend Sam didn't mind if he showed up.

Sam didn't really care either way. He knew that Andy was the only person he would have eyes for. He wouldn't admit it to anybody, but he was actually excited. He couldn't wait to see her walk down the aisle. And while he wasn't looking forward to sharing his feelings in front of a full church, he was looking forward to the rest of the day.

"I was thinking," Andy said after a moment of silence. "Maybe you'll think it's stupid, but what about getting a wedding cake delivered at your mom's? I know she doesn't get what's going on, but this way we can include her a little bit. And it's a treat for all the nurses, they take care of her with so much love."

Andy had met Sam's mom a few months before. Sam had informed her that his mother probably wouldn't recognize him. She had been in a nursing home for a few years and was diagnosed with alzheimer. Sam visited her every week, but most of the time he was a stranger to her.

Inviting her to the wedding wasn't an option since the situation would only cost her stress. Andy wanted her to be a part of it though, she was important to Sam after all.

"Thats thoughtful," Sam answered. He smiled sadly and nodded. "I think that's a good idea. She always liked pie, would always start to bake whenever things were stressful."

Andy stayed quiet as she listened to Sam. Moments where he would share things about his life before he met her weren't so rare anymore.

It took him some time, but Andy knew that if she gave him enough time he would tell her just about anything.

They had come a long way.

"She baked a lot," Sam added after a while. "And then my dad would get pissed because of the mess she made. She was kind of horrible at cleaning up after herself. If Sarah or I caught the mess in time we would take care of it, but he would always find a reason to start a fight."

"Sounds stressful," Andy replied. She sat up and kissed Sam's cheek. "You're a good man Sam Swarek."

Sam smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Let's just hope we're better at marriage than our parents."

"We will be," Andy promised. "We'll fight and it won't always be easy, but at the end of the day I'll always find my way home to you. And we'll both make mistakes and we'll probably hurt each other, but we will always apologize. We just won't go to bed angry, we'll promise each other that. And when we have kids.." Andy smiled at the prospect and fisted her hand in Sam's hair. "When we have kids they'll only make us stronger. They'll know that they're loved by both of us."

Sam softly kissed Andy and when they broke apart he gave her a small smile. "I think you just wrote your vows."

XX

Sam looked at the screen of his phone. He clenched his jaw as he put it next to him again. Three seconds later he picked it up again and quickly dialled the number he had in his head all day long.

The phone rang three times before it was answered.

"_Hello?"_

Sam took a deep breath. "Hey," he said. "It's me.. Sam."

"_Is something wrong? Something wrong with mom?" _Sarah asked.

"No, no," Sam answered. "Mom is.. Well, the same as always."

"_Oh," _Sarah said. _"So, why are you calling then?" _

For a moment Sam closed his eyes. He was still half convinced it was a bad idea, but Andy's words did make him think. He realized that he wanted to at least invite Sarah. If she didn't want to come to his wedding that was up to her, but as his sister he should at least give her an invitation.

"I just.." Sam started. "I wanted to let you know that I'm getting married."

Sarah didn't answer right away, but Sam could imagine her facial expression. _"You?" _Was her first question. _"You're getting married? Is this some joke?" _

"No," Sam said. "You met her actually, in the hospital."

"_Andy," _Sarah remembered. _"She seemed nice.." _

"She is." Sam smiled when he thought about his soon to be wife. "She's great Square. And I know that you probably think I won't be too great at the whole marriage thing, but with her it's different."

"_You love her?" _

Sam swallowed and nodded even though Sarah couldn't see him. "I do, she's it."

"_I guess congratulations are in order.." _

"Thanks," Sam answered. "It would mean a lot to Andy.. To Andy and me if you would be able to come to the wedding. I know we haven't talked much and we'll probably always disagree on some things, but I want you to get to know her."

After he finally said the words Sam held his breath for a moment. He told himself that it would be fine if she said no. Now that he actually invited her he realized how much he wanted his sister there though. She was the only family he had that could share that experience with him. And even though they weren't close, she was his sister.

"_Maybe I can come to the city some time.." _Sarah suggested. "_I would like to meet her. More officially I mean." _

A weight fell off Sam's shoulders. "That would be great," he said. "Just tell me when you can make it and I'll clear our schedule."

After the two siblings set a date Sam ended the call. As weird as it was, he was happy that he took the first step. Growing up Sarah and he only had each other. Over the years they changed, they were too different to have a normal relationship.

That all happened years before though. Sam had changed since then and Sarah probably did too. If he didn't reach out to her now he knew he probably never would.

An hour later Andy came back from her run. She was sweaty and kicked off her shoes before she entered the living room. "Added another round," she said when she walked in.

Sam stood up and went in for a kiss. Before he could kiss her she squirmed away from him. "Sam, I'm gross," she warned.

"Since when have I minded a little sweat?" Sam wondered out loud. He ignored her protest and pressed his lips against hers. "Come sit with me for a moment."

"Sam seriously, I need to shower first."

"Just a second," Sam stopped her. He sat down on the couch and pulled Andy on his lap. "I called Sarah while you were out."

Andy's eyes widened. "You did?" she asked. "I thought you didn't want that."

"You made me think," Sam admitted. "If I don't try to fix it now I don't think we ever will.. And if it doesn't work out.. Well, at least I know I tried."

With a smile Andy looked at him. "I'm really proud of you. I know that wasn't easy."

"She wants us to get together this weekend," Sam said. "Said she wants to get to know you."

"Did she say anything else?" Andy wondered.

"Not much." Sam rubbed circles on Andy's back with his thumb as he watched her closely. "What happened when you drove her to the bus station? We never really talked about it."

Andy sighed and closed her eyes. "We talked about you. I told her that I thought you changed, but she said that you would just hurt me again." When she looked at Sam she saw that he didn't like hearing that. "But you have changed," she added. "You're so different than you were before. Sarah will see that too."

"I love you," Sam said before he slowly kissed her.

Andy kissed him back and moved so she was straddling him. "You know," she muttered against his mouth. "I could use some help in the shower."

Sam grinned and wrapped Andy's legs around his waist. "Well, never say I'm not helpful."

XX

When Sam entered the house everything was dark. He found Andy at the kitchen table with her laptop, but all the lights were off. "Why are you sitting in the dark?" Sam questioned as he kissed her.

Andy looked up and shrugged. "Wasn't paying attention. How was work?"

"Fine," Sam answered. "We finally made a bust in the Cramer case."

Andy nodded along and closed her laptop. "That's good," she answered. "I'll go heat up some food, okay? We still have those leftovers."

"Sure," Sam said. "Not that hungry anyway."

"Me neither," Andy replied. She went into the kitchen and Sam followed her. "How was your lunch?"

Andy shrugged and opened the refrigerator. She didn't say anything as she started to heat up the food from two nights before.

"Not good?" Sam guessed.

Again, Andy shrugged. Sam could see that she was struggling, but he decided to give her time to find the words. "Wedding dilemma is solved," Andy said.

"She won't come?" Sam guessed. He knew that Andy had been dealing with this dilemma for a few weeks. She had lunch with Claire this afternoon and obviously something happened.

"She's going away for the weekend," Andy filled in. "A friend is taking her to some spa. So unfortunately she can't come to her daughters wedding. The spa just can't wait apparently."

Sam closed his eyes and walked closer to Andy. He took the spoon from her hands and kissed the top of her head as he pulled her to him. "I'm sorry," he offered.

"I know I'm being stupid," Andy admitted. "I didn't even know if it was smart to invite her, but is it so awful that I wished that she would want to be there." Andy whipped away an angry tear and shook her head. "She missed everything.. She wasn't there when I went on my first date, she wasn't there when I got my heart broken for the first time, she wasn't there when I graduated.." Andy looked at the floor. "And now she can't come to my wedding because some trip just can't wait."

"I'm sorry," Sam said again. "She doesn't deserve you."

"Screw her," Andy replied. "I've got my dad, who has always been here. I have you and you're more than I ever wished for. We have the best friends.. I don't need her."

Sam rested his forehead against hers. "I know." He took her hand in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Still sucks though."

Andy shrugged and closed her eyes. "I should probably be used to it by now."

"We'll be okay," Sam promised. "We'll make that day amazing."

"It will be amazing," Andy agreed. "No matter what. As long as I can call myself Mrs. Swarek at the end of the day."

"Mrs. Swarek," Sam repeated with a smile on his face.

"No more McNally," Andy said. "Except at work."

"And at home," Sam added. "I like calling you McNally. That won't change."

"Fine, but to others I'll be Mrs. Swarek."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

XX

When the big day finally arrived everything was as it should be.

All their friends were there to celebrate their love with them. Andy's dad was looking more proud than ever and even Sarah decided to put the past in the past.

She and Sam still didn't agree on what to do with their dad. Sarah still insisted that he was a changed man, but Sam knew he wasn't. Andy suggested they just left that topic undiscussed.

As it turned out Sarah and Andy did get along very well. Andy even invited her to her last dress fitting. It wasn't what he expected, but Sam was glad he made the phone call. Making amends was never easy, but he only had one sister and he wanted to have her in his life.

At the end of the evening Sam was standing by the bar with Oliver. His friend patted him on the back as they watched Andy dance with Chris and Dov.

"Beautiful bride you have," Oliver said as he ordered another drink.

"Slightly drunk as well," Sam replied when he noticed the blush on her cheeks and the way she was moving.

"You happy brother?" Oliver asked. "This everything you wanted?"

Sam nodded and smiled when he saw Dov spin his sister around while Chris did the same with Andy. "That and more."

XX

_The end _


End file.
